Wanees Zarour

Wanees Zarour (b. Ramallah, 1986) is a Chicago-based musician, focusing on contemporary Middle Eastern Music. He is an accomplished oud, buzuq, percussion and violin player, having been featured in many international music festivals. His latest album, Quarter to Midnight, was released in August 2014.

Born in Ramallah, Palestine, Wanees has trained as a musician from the age of 7. He began with violin and quickly picked up oud, buzuq, and percussion. He has been invited to perform in major music and concerts around the world in ensemble and solo performances, including American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion, Chicago's World Music Festival, and Day of Music at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Wanees specializes in Maqam music, teaching classes and leading ensembles mainly in the Chicago area. His compositions often fuse traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation and Maqam theory together with musical traditions ranging from free jazz to Eastern European folk, and Latin American Music such as Bossa Nova.

Wanees currently directs the Middle East Music Ensemble at The University of Chicago, which performs a wide variety of traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music, featuring Arab, Turkish and Persian repertoire. He also teaches Maqam Theory and Middle Eastern Rhythm as a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Zarour leads and performs with several ensembles including Duzan Ensemble and the Wanees Zarour Ensemble among others. His latest album of original compositions, Quarter to Midnight was released on August 2, 2014 at Constellation Chicago.

Similar Artists

Other notable artists who compose and perform music in similar Middle Eastern styles include Issa Boulos, Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, and Ziad Rahbani.

Discography